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Olympus SH-2 vs Panasonic LX5

Portability
88
Imaging
41
Features
51
Overall
45
Olympus Stylus SH-2 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5 front
Portability
88
Imaging
35
Features
44
Overall
38

Olympus SH-2 vs Panasonic LX5 Key Specs

Olympus SH-2
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 125 - 6400
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 25-600mm (F3.0-6.9) lens
  • 271g - 109 x 63 x 42mm
  • Introduced March 2015
  • Superseded the Olympus SH-1
  • Later Model is Olympus SH-3
Panasonic LX5
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - 1/1.63" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 12800
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 24-90mm (F2.0-3.3) lens
  • 271g - 110 x 65 x 43mm
  • Introduced December 2011
  • Old Model is Panasonic LX3
  • Updated by Panasonic LX7
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Olympus SH-2 vs Panasonic LX5 Overview

Let's look a bit more closely at the Olympus SH-2 vs Panasonic LX5, one is a Small Sensor Superzoom and the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by companies Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a big gap between the resolutions of the SH-2 (16MP) and LX5 (10MP) and the SH-2 (1/2.3") and LX5 (1/1.63") boast different sensor sizing.

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The SH-2 was launched 3 years after the LX5 which is quite a big gap as far as technology is concerned. The two cameras have the same body design (Compact).

Before diving right into a in-depth comparison, here is a quick overview of how the SH-2 matches up versus the LX5 for portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus SH-2 over the Panasonic LX5

 SH-2 LX5 
IntroducedMarch 2015December 2011More modern by 40 months
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Panasonic LX5 over the Olympus SH-2

 LX5 SH-2 
Manual focus Very exact focusing

Common features in the Olympus SH-2 and Panasonic LX5

 SH-2 LX5 
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Screen dimensions3"3"Equal screen measurement
Screen resolution460k460kIdentical screen resolution
Selfie screen Neither has selfie screen

Olympus SH-2 vs Panasonic LX5 Physical Comparison

If you're looking to carry around your camera regularly, you'll have to consider its weight and proportions. The Olympus SH-2 has physical measurements of 109mm x 63mm x 42mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.7") along with a weight of 271 grams (0.60 lbs) and the Panasonic LX5 has measurements of 110mm x 65mm x 43mm (4.3" x 2.6" x 1.7") accompanied by a weight of 271 grams (0.60 lbs).

Check out the Olympus SH-2 vs Panasonic LX5 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary depending on the lens you have chosen at the time. The following is a front view measurement comparison of the SH-2 compared to the LX5.

Olympus SH-2 vs Panasonic LX5 size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the SH-2 and LX5 is 88 and 88 respectively.

Olympus SH-2 vs Panasonic LX5 top view buttons comparison

Olympus SH-2 vs Panasonic LX5 Sensor Comparison

Quite often, it's tough to imagine the contrast between sensor sizes simply by reading technical specs. The picture underneath will give you a clearer sense of the sensor measurements in the SH-2 and LX5.

As you have seen, both the cameras have different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The SH-2 featuring a tinier sensor is going to make achieving bokeh more challenging and the Olympus SH-2 will offer more detail utilizing its extra 6 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also make it easier to crop photographs a bit more aggressively. The more recent SH-2 provides an advantage when it comes to sensor innovation.

Olympus SH-2 vs Panasonic LX5 sensor size comparison

Olympus SH-2 vs Panasonic LX5 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus SH-2 vs Panasonic LX5 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus SH-2
Portrait photography with Panasonic LX5
44
megapixel count decent (16MP)
offers face detection focus
exports RAW files
focusing manually not possible
no external flash support
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
41
you can focus manually
supports RAW files
low resolution (10 megapixels)
sensor is very small (1/1.63")
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Street Comparison

Olympus SH-2 Street photography info
Panasonic LX5 Street photography info
70
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
exports RAW files
has focus via touch
lighter than competitors (271 grams)
no moving screen
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
59
built in image stabilization (Optical)
supports RAW files
no moving screen
sensor is very small (1/1.63")
more heavy than competition in class (271 grams)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus SH-2 Sports photography advice
Panasonic LX5 Sports photography advice
51
great zoom range (25-600mm 24.0 x zoom)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
offers tracking autofocus
good battery power (380 CIPA)
no shutter priority
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
lack of phase detect auto focus
27
built in image stabilization (Optical)
low frames per second (3.0 frames per second)
low resolution (10 megapixels)
sensor is very small (1/1.63")
doesn't have phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus SH-2 as a Travel photography camera
Panasonic LX5 as a Travel photography camera
74
good battery power (380 CIPA)
lighter than competitors (271 grams)
has focus via touch
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
flash built-in
rather wide (25mm)
long zoom (600mm)
screen isn't selfie friendly
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.0)
59
built-in flash
fairly wide (24mm)
fast max aperture (f2.0)
missing Timelapse mode
more heavy than competition in class (271g)
low resolution (10 megapixels)
does not posses selfie friendly display
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus SH-2 Landscape photography advice
Panasonic LX5 Landscape photography advice
55
rather wide (25mm)
screen size is decent (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
exports RAW files
good battery power (380 CIPA)
focusing manually not possible
cannot switch lenses (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.0)
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
52
you can focus manually
fairly wide (24mm)
fast max aperture (f2.0)
nice screen size (3")
built in image stabilization (Optical)
supports RAW files
cannot swap lens (fixed lens mount)
low resolution (10MP)
sensor is very small (1/1.63")
missing Timelapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus SH-2 as a Vlogging camera
Panasonic LX5 as a Vlogging camera
35
rather wide (25mm)
touchscreen capability
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
offers face detection focus
high res video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
lighter than competitors (271 grams)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.0)
screen isn't selfie friendly
doesn't have external microphone support
29
fairly wide (24mm)
fast max aperture (f2.0)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
does not posses selfie friendly display
low video resolution (1280 x 720 resolution)
missing microphone socket
more heavy than competition in class (271g)
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Olympus SH-2 vs Panasonic LX5 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus SH-2 and Panasonic LX5
 Olympus Stylus SH-2Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5
General Information
Company Olympus Panasonic
Model Olympus Stylus SH-2 Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5
Class Small Sensor Superzoom Small Sensor Compact
Introduced 2015-03-11 2011-12-15
Physical type Compact Compact
Sensor Information
Processor Chip TruePic VII Venus Engine FHD
Sensor type BSI-CMOS CCD
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1/1.63"
Sensor measurements 6.17 x 4.55mm 8.07 x 5.56mm
Sensor surface area 28.1mm² 44.9mm²
Sensor resolution 16MP 10MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Max resolution 4608 x 3456 3648 x 2736
Max native ISO 6400 12800
Min native ISO 125 80
RAW images
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
AF continuous
Single AF
Tracking AF
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Number of focus points - 23
Lens
Lens mount fixed lens fixed lens
Lens focal range 25-600mm (24.0x) 24-90mm (3.8x)
Highest aperture f/3.0-6.9 f/2.0-3.3
Macro focus range 3cm 1cm
Crop factor 5.8 4.5
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display sizing 3 inch 3 inch
Display resolution 460 thousand dots 460 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None Electronic (optional)
Features
Min shutter speed 30 seconds 60 seconds
Max shutter speed 1/2000 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Continuous shutter rate 11.5 frames per sec 3.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 8.30 m (at ISO 3200) 7.20 m
Flash options Auto, redeye reduction, fill-in, off Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync
External flash
AEB
WB bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60p, 30p), 1280 x 720 (30p), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 848 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Max video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video file format H.264 AVCHD Lite
Microphone port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 271g (0.60 lbs) 271g (0.60 lbs)
Physical dimensions 109 x 63 x 42mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.7") 110 x 65 x 43mm (4.3" x 2.6" x 1.7")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score not tested 41
DXO Color Depth score not tested 19.6
DXO Dynamic range score not tested 10.8
DXO Low light score not tested 132
Other
Battery life 380 photographs -
Battery type Battery Pack -
Battery model LI-92B -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec, custom) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage SD, SDHC, SDXC, Internal Memory SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Card slots 1 1
Cost at release $399 $294